Thick and Blunt
by bikelock28
Summary: The scene in 1.4 where Marian sews Robin's arm up, told from Marian and Robin's points of view. Chapter 2 is now up! Please R and R.
1. Marian

Thick and Blunt

**This is the scene in series 1 episode 4 told from Marian's point of view. I own nothing!**

I take a needle out of the draw and thread the string through it. Robin, sitting on the bed, looks around the little room.

"This needle is thick and blunt," I warn him, "Are you prepared?"

"'Tis the way you sell it," deadpans Robin. I sit down next to him.

"You'll need to take off your shirt," I say, far too quickly and breathlessly for it to sound natural. For once, Robin doesn't notice, and obediently stands up to remove his shirt. I try to avert my eyes from his bare chest but it is too difficult and I let my gaze wander across his arms and his chest and his back. He is thin, much thinner than in the old days, but still as muscular as he used to be. I notice a deep gash on his side. Robin notices me looking at it.

"Saracen attack on the King," he explains, "Caught us unawares. To this day I do not know how,"

"Is this why you returned?"I inquire, realising that I haven't actually asked him.

"The stitching became infected," Robin confirmed, looking up to the ceiling with his green-grey eyes, "I took a fever, and when I woke the King had gone South, with orders for me to return to fully recover,"

I dab at the arrow wound with a wet cloth, resisting the temptation to run my fingers down his arm.

"So you return and take instantly to the woods?" I say, the sharp reply coming before I can decide whether to use it or say something sympathetic. My mouth takes over though, as always, and I say something spiteful even if I don't want to. I accidentally press too hard with the wad of cotton wool.

"Aah!" cries Robin.

"It must be clean or you will take another fever," I tell him, my voice too cold. I begin to sew and a silence which is neither awkward no uncomfortable falls, with only the sound of my sticking to break it.

"So," begins Robin, "You never told me. When I was in the Holy Land, you must have had _suitors_?" Well, what do you think, Robin? I know why he's asking, because it makes him proud to know I must have turned down suitors. I pull hard on the thread and Robin cries out in pain.

"I must," I say, not meeting his eyes.

"It is surprising you are not married," Robin persists.

"It is. Yet when one considers marriage requires a man, perhaps not,"

Robin grins at me, his huge, handsome grin that melts my heart. But I can't let him know that.

"A word of advice," I say fiercely, "Your charms, such as they are, stopped working on me at least five years ago," That's a lie, Marian, and you know it. Robin's smile broadens.

"A challenge,"

"A statement," I tug the string sharply with my little finger.

"OW!" cries Robin, jumping slightly.

"That hurt?" I inquire

"YES!"

"Good," The coldness in my voice is intentional this time. He _knows_ I turned down suitors because I was waiting for him, he _knows_ his well-practiced charms make my heart race.

I finish sewing and tie the thread up.

"Just tying off," I murmur. Robin dips his head and gives me a long look. I concentrate hard on the knot to avoid looking back at him. I know he is going to say something flirty and charming, so I have time to arrange my face into a plain, emotionless expression.

"Kiss it better?" says Robin almost innocently. I yank the thread again to shut up him.

"Aah!" he wails.

"Dome," I say casually, as if nothing has happened. It has probably been the deepest conversation the two of us have had in five years. Robin is being extremely smug and cocky and annoying and...brave and strong and loyal. Oh, I'm in love with him.

**Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think. I'm thinking of doing a chapter 2 of the same scene from Robin's POV, let me know if you think I should. **


	2. Robin

Thick and Blunt

**Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy lately. This is a slightly revised version of Chapter 2, because I found an earlier draft yesterday and wanted to build some things from that into it. This is Robin's POV of the same scene.**

"_**What game shall we play today, how about the one where you don't get your way,"- Get Your Way, Jamie Cullum**_

Marian walks over to where I'm sitting on the bed. "This needle is thick and blunt," she informs me, "Are you prepared?"

"Tis the way you sell it," I mumble. The baby moans in the corner.

"You'll need to take off your shirt," she says, and I can hear how she's trying to control her voice. I have to bits my lip hard to stop myself laughing. It hurts to take the shirt off, and I have to do it slowly so as not to brush against the wound on my side. Marian's eyes flash over it.

"Saracen attack on the King," I say, by way of explanation, "Caught us unawares. To this day I do not know how,"

"Is this why you returned?" asks Marian. I nod.

"The stitching became infected," I look up at the low ceiling of the house, "I took a fever, and when I woke the King had gone South, and left orders for me to return to fully recover,"

Those long nights in Acre run through my mind, the cold, the exhaustion, the fear. Dreaming of the day I could come back home to her. Dreaming of her touching me, kissing me, saying my name… how different it is now in reality.

"So you return and take instantly to the woods?" says Marian. Oh, so we're playing the Criticism Game again are we? Well, if you're going to do criticism, I'm going to do charming. This is see-who-can-get-the-other-one-most-angry.

I laugh quietly. Marian, whose has been dabbing a wet cloth on my wound presses it hard against me and I shout out in pain- "Aah!"

"It must be clean or you will take another fever," Marian says calmly.

Marian begins to sew and in the seconds of silence, I seize my chance.

"So, you never told me. When I was in the Holy Land, you must have had suitors…"

It's only a casual remark, just a friendly enquiry…

Marian jabs the needle into my arm and I cry out again.

"I must have,". I recognise her tone as the stop-talking-now-Robin-or-I-will-get-very-cross. A more sensible man would take the hint and keep his mouth shut. But where would be the fun in that?

"It is surprising you are not married," I say, trying (and, I'll be honest, failing) to stop the grin spreading over my face. Will told me that she had at least three suitors a year asking her to marry them, but she kept turning them down, kept sending them away. Because…

"It is," Marian replies, catching my eye. She looks at me with distaste. Just a little bit, it stings me. "And yet," she continues, "when one considers that marriage requires a man, perhaps not,"

I smile and laugh under my breath. She told me once that my laugh made her want to hit me and kiss me at the same time. I think I know which one is more likely now, but it's still worth a try.

"A word of advice," Marian says forcefully, "you're charms such as they are stopped working on me at least five years ago,"

Oh, Marian, that's a lie and we both know it.

" A challenge," I grin. I love a challenge.

" A statement,". I can see the pride in her eyes as she tries not to raise her voice in anger. Marian yanks the thread and the skin tightens violently around my wound.

"OW!" I cry

"That hurt?"

"YES!"

"Good," Marian says triumphantly. Then I realise what she's doing- turning my own trick on me. Trying to rile me up, make _me_ the angry one. She's good, she is so, _so _good.

"Juts tying off," Marian mumbles, knotting the thread into a bow. She thinks she's won- but I'm not finished flirting yet. I move my face towards hers. I can almost feel her breath quicken.

"Kiss it better?" I ask, oh so innocently. I almost hope she'll scream at me and slap me in the face. She doesn't. What she does do, is pull the string sharply and make pain stab through me.

"AAH!" I scream, for the fourth time. It's worth it though, to see how much control it is taking her to say "Done," in the casual way that she does.

This is fun; this is such good fun, these games we're playing with each other. And I can tell she still loves me. I can make her come round, she can't resist me forever. I'll just have to work at it.

**So, what did you think? I'm not sure this is as good as chapter 1, it was harder to write in Robin's POV. Please review and let me know what you think.**


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